A Perspective of Hope in the Wake of Charlottesville

I remember the days after Donald Trump was elected president, feeling as though permission had now been granted for hatred and evil to be released into our world. I remember feeling scared and afraid, a sense of foreboding that things were about to get really bad. I have prayed, I have worried, and I have cried in the days that have followed and I imagine, this will not be ending soon.

As the days have gone by, I have tried to make sense of things and somehow wrap my head around how any of this can actually be reality in 2017. If I am honest, I really should not be surprised as I know, in the deepest place in my soul, that nothing can be healed when it has been buried. Yes, we have come a long way over the years on the surface, but underneath all of it, there has been a steady flow of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and anti-Semitism present in our world and unfortunately, since we have only sought to bury the past, it seems that these opinions have only grown in strength for many.

Over this past weekend, I was devastated and sick to my stomach watching the images of Charlottesville unfold. I felt like someone had kicked me in my gut when I heard Donald Trump respond with blame on all sides and refuse to acknowledge the woman, Heather Heyer, whose life was taken as a result of this ignorant and disgusting display of humanity. It was in these moments that I knew my fears had come into fruition and that evil had absolutely been given permission to come forth.

As a spiritual woman, I have struggled with my beliefs over the past few days, attempting to understand how all of this can be happening in the abundant universe of love and support that I believe in. What could possibly be the reason, what could possibly be the purpose?

One of the things I write and speak most about is how everything, even the worst of our struggles, is an opportunity and a gift from the universe, offering the possibility for growth and healing. Life is happening for us, in service of us, not to us. I truly believe in what I teach and have sought to understand how I can apply this belief to what is happening in our world today. And I want to share this perspective with you here today.

As I said earlier, if I am honest, I should not be surprised by the hatred and fear that is being displayed openly at this time. It has been building for far too long and there has never been an attempt to consciously heal, only a very unsuccessful attempt to bury and hide. As with anything in our lives, you can only pull the rug over your head for so long, eventually you have to deal with things as denial will only get you so far.

And here we are, denial has gotten us to this reality and the rug has been pulled down from our heads. And so, how is this an opportunity and a gift from the universe? How is this an example of life happening in service of us?

Evil has been released into our world so that we can all be given the opportunity to finally face what we have been attempting to deny and bury so that we can once and for all, truly heal. We have spent years pretending and well, we can no longer pretend. This is our reality and we are being called to rise up and connect in a way that results in true healing. A way that finally allows us to have the conversations that need to be had, speak the truths that need to be spoken, and forgive the wounds that need to be forgiven. We are being given the opportunity to come forward from the space within ourselves that is love and kindness so that we can connect as human beings, one race that bleeds the same blood.

My truth is this, I have long felt the injustices of the world deep inside my heart and have chosen to be complacent. I have pushed away the pain I felt deep in my heart, convincing myself that there is nothing I can do and it isn’t my problem. I have known, yet I have chosen to pretend and for that, I am truly and deeply sorry. My silence has contributed to this reality and that truth shakes me to my core.

Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.” I will not allow for the triumph of evil through my silence and will use my voice to share what I know is true. That we are all human beings, of the same race and bleeding the same blood. That love is our natural state and that hate has to be taught. That we are powerful beyond our comprehension when we unify and connect. That goodness can and will prevail as long as we seize this opportunity and once and for all truly heal.

We all have the choice right here and now to seize the opportunity being presented to us and make a difference. To come together and to make things right. To stand up for love and not allow hate to prevail. To make this world a beautiful space of abundance for our children and all the generations to come.